Gifts
by Ruler of Destiny
Summary: Yuho should know better than to be surprised by anything Jun does, but she really did wish the girl would stop climbing into her hospital room through the window.


_One. Two. Three._

"Will this affect her in any way?"

"It could be nothing…"

_Fifty-six. Fifty-seven. Fifty-eight._

"How long will she be like this?"

"As you well know, we can't say for sure."

_One hundred eighty-four. One hundred-eighty five. One hundred-eighty six._

"We'll keep her a week for observation, just to be on the safe side."

"And then what? She comes back at the end of the month with a _new _illness?"

_Three hundred forty-nine. Three hundred fifty. Three hundred fifty-one._

"I should remind you that it could have been far more serious. Her immune system seems to be in good shape for the time being, all things considered."

"Fine, fine. But I want your best doctors on this."

_Five hundred sixty-two. Five hundred sixty-three. Five hundred sixty-four._

"YUHO. I SNUCK IN TO SAVE YOU!"

"YAAGH!" Yuho screamed in sync with the heart monitor, before the machine and her brain went blank.

So. You really _could _be scared to death, but wasn't breathing supposed to stop when you die? Her lungs must have forgotten how it works, because they were frantically urging her to take in some air already. And why did all the machines turn o-oh.

There were so many things one could say with a single word. 'What are you doing?' 'Why are you here?' 'I am onto you and I won't be taken by surprise.' 'Are you trying to kill me?' All of those and more, she packed into a single word; "_Jun_."

"What? I don't like the beeping. And look! Presents for my hime!" Jun smiled brightly with her usual lack of shame.

"Don't call me hime." The rebuttal was an instantaneous reaction, almost a reflex with how often she'd had to say it the last few months, and the sulking it caused left her free to scrutinize her companion/friend/half-sister in suspicious silence.

Aside from the giant bag slung over her back, she didn't have anything else that was cause for concern. There was a bright red scratch on her cheek that probably needed some antiseptic, and her short sleeve shirt was too thin for this sort of windy weather, but otherwise she looked normal. Yuho made a mental note to force her to take the jacket in her backpack.

"Sooooo, are you going to open them?" she asked, staring at her with eager anticipation and a wide grin.

That smile could possibly be the death of her, one day.

"Why are you giving me presents? It's nowhere near Christmas." The sick nine year old poked at the bag with great caution. It couldn't be _that _dangerous. Jun would never hurt her after all. If anything, she was _too_ mothering.

Still.

"Do I need a reason to give you gifts?!" Jun pretended to be offended at the notion.

"Yes."

Blunt, to the point, no nonsense. That was the best way to handle her.

"...Fine. So I heard about this thing called National Cousins Day…"

"And this is important why?"

"So I decided that if they can have a day to celebrate cousins, I could have a day to celebrate Yuho!"

"That's what birthdays are for."

"Buuuuuut I wanted my _own _day! That way I wouldn't have to share you!"

She blinked at the pouting Kuga, warmth spreading through her body and pooling into her cheeks. She hadn't expected that sort of sentimental reasoning behind Jun's sudden appearance with presents. It wasn't a terrible idea, having a day that belonged just to Jun. In fact, that sounded like a really, really good idea.

"Oh."

The young Kuga beamed, lighting up the room in Yuho's eyes. This was probably a moment where she should say some sort of thanks, or express her appreciation, or even let her best friend know that she did not mind this strange idea of hers.

Their eyes met, and the words were at the tip of her tongue.

"Hey! How did you get in! Visiting hours are over!"

"Eep!"

"I'm going to call your parents, young lady."

"Awwwww."

...Darn.

"Yuho, save me!"

"Take the jacket in my backpack on your way out. It's cold out."

"So cruel…"

Back to counting the dots on the ceiling it was.


End file.
